Davide Ancelotti: "The skill you need to have today in the defensive phase as a manager is to make the players understand that the mid-block is disappearing.”
"My dream is to have a team that can do different things at the highest level.”
"If we take the example of the last Champions League winners, Paris St-Germain, they are able to do everything.”
"They are able to find the spare man if they have superiority in the first build-up. They are able to have a positional possession, and also not have a positional possession [freedom] when they have the ball in the high build-up.”
"Of course, they have great ability up front, but without the ball, if they have to press, they recognise when they have to press to be man-to-man. And they are really organised in the deep block.”
"So what can you say about a team like this? This is a team that is complete."
"Defensively, I believe in the zonal defence in your own half. The best way to defend is to defend with two lines of four and a line of two. It could be a 4-4-1-1 or a 4-4-2.”
"But a shape is not enough, you need principles.”
"Today it is difficult to defend the last line with four. The shape is 4-4-2, yes, but then it always changes.”
"I believe, and this is from Jose Mourinho, Diego Simeone, Unai Emery, the great teachers of the defensive phase, that you have, at some point, to be five."
> At this point we altered the tactics board, dragging one of the opposition midfielders forward in between the defending team's full-back and centre-back.
Davide continued: "For example, if this guy goes, you follow. It all depends on where the ball is, but you create a back five and that can be with your number six, or it can be with your winger. "That is my belief. I still believe in zonal marking when you are defending the goal and when you are defending the box."
"The skill you need to have today in the defensive phase as a manager is to make the players understand that the mid-block is disappearing.”
"I made the coaching licence in Germany, and in Germany they draw two lines and they call it mittelfeldpressing [midfield pressing]. Here they keep the high line but don't press the ball.”
"If you see Liverpool when they won the Champions League with Jurgen Klopp, it was like this. Against Barcelona away, there was no pressure on the ball, but the line was high.”
"As a manager, you have to make your team understand that this block is now a transitory situation.”
"Once we are here, we have to hold this position briefly, but we are looking for the next position, which is to drop deep or press high.”
"Your players have to recognise the triggers and there are triggers to go high and there are triggers to go back. "Following a passback or a trap you set, for example, your players can go man-for-man." #sport source